A Night of Scandal

Watching him lift the icicle shaped Sapphire trophy high in the air as a gesture of triumph, she felt her eyes sting.

He’d been a little boy trying to escape from the nightmare of the real world. And that little boy had fought his way to the top in the toughest business of all.

The achievement was outstanding.

When the applause died and the audience finally seated themselves, Nathaniel gave his trademark sexy smile, back in control. ‘This is the part where I’m supposed to cry, isn’t it?’

Laughter rippled across the auditorium and Nathaniel spread his hands in mocking apology. ‘Sorry to disappoint,’ he drawled, ‘but I’ve always had a problem with the crying part. Unless I’m being paid, of course. Thank you for this amazing honour ….’ He spoke fluently and with grace, thanking his co-star and all the people involved in the making of the film.

Then he paused and looked at the glittering trophy in his hand. Silence fell, as if everyone sensed that the obligatory thanks were over and that he was about to say something meaningful.

‘I dedicate this Sapphire to my mother, Carrie.’ His voice didn’t waver and he spoke directly into the camera that was circling the front of the stage. ‘Carrie, you are a beautiful, special woman and you always told me that one day your son Nathaniel was going to win a Sapphire. Well, you were right. I won. This is mine.’ He held it high, a strange smile playing around his mouth. ‘Maybe when you look at this on your mantelpiece, you’ll think of me.’

Katie heard a quiet sob come from a woman in the row behind her. A man cleared his throat.

To the rest of the world it sounded like a simple dedication, but Katie understood the true message behind those words. Finally she understood what Nathaniel was trying to do.

He was hoping that seeing him holding the Sapphire would trigger something in his mother’s brain. He was hoping it was going to be enough to make her remember that he was her son.

Tears poured down her cheeks and she brushed them away quickly, realising that the cameras might be on her.

Nathaniel left the stage to even louder applause and Katie gave him a wobbly smile as he sat down next to her, expecting to see pride in his eyes. Instead his face had a greyish tinge and those famous blue eyes were empty.

‘That was beautiful.’ She covered his hand with hers. ‘Will she be watching?’

‘Yes. It’s ridiculously late in England but she insists on watching the Sapphire ceremony every year. She even dresses up for it.’

A confused, lonely woman getting ready to watch the world-famous ceremony on a television.

Katie blinked rapidly. ‘Well, you’ve made her night.’

He didn’t respond and suddenly she wished they could just go home right now so that she could try and get him to talk to her. Instead they sat through the rest of the ceremony and then moved on to the Sapphire Ball.

Sparkling chandeliers sent a cascade of light over the decorated tables, the room a mixture of contemporary elegance and glamour. Nathaniel was immediately surrounded by people wanting to soak up his success and Katie found herself pushed back to the fringe of the group.

Wondering how anyone could feel invisible and conspicuous at the same time, she hovered. The falseness of the situation made her uncomfortable and she realised that this was why Nathaniel chose to hide himself. You couldn’t be real here, could you? These people didn’t want real—they wanted the dream.

She was wondering whether to pay an extended visit to the bathroom, when a man with a friendly smile approached.

‘You must be Katie.’ He extended his hand. ‘Howard Kennington.’

Still worrying about Nathaniel, it took Katie a moment to register that she was in the presence of movie royalty. ‘Oh …’ She felt tense and awkward. ‘Nathaniel said that he’d sent you my drawings, but—’

‘They’re awesome. As is that dress you’re wearing. Even Alicia is impressed and she’s one hard nut to crack.’ He drew her to one side and questioned her about her ideas and soon Katie was deep in conversation, talking non-stop as she spilled out a lifetime of dreams.

‘Sorry.’ Eventually she ground to a halt. ‘I’ve gone on and on—’

‘It’s been most illuminating. You don’t hide much, do you?’

‘Nothing.’ Katie turned scarlet. ‘But I’m trying to change.’

‘Don’t. It makes you unique and it’s hard to find anything unique in Tinseltown. You have real talent. As does Nathaniel.’

The famous producer smiled and they talked for another twenty minutes and when he gave her his card and invited her to meet both him and Alicia the following week, Katie felt her spirits soar. Howard

Kennington liked her work. It was more than a dream. It was a fantasy. Never in a million years had she ever thought she’d have this sort of luck. It was all she could do not to squeal with joy.

If she could prove herself, she could be working as a costume designer on movies.